Ellen Purple, RN, a critical care staff nurse at Beebe Healthcare, was honored by the U.S. Office of the Secretary of Defense for contributing to national security and protecting liberty and freedom by supporting employee participation in America’s National Guard and Reserve Force.

Purple, who has worked at Beebe for more than 12 years, was presented with the award this month. U.S. Army reservist and critical care nurse Kelley Mugo, RN, nominated Purple for the award.

“Ellen was great to work with and always made sure I got hours that didn’t interfere with my Army duties,” Mugo said.

Because of her military service, Mugo often has to attend drill during the weekends. Her schedule has to vary but cannot include weekend shifts. Purple took over scheduling duties in the ICU for a period of time.

Purple was chosen to receive the award for her dedication and support of military service.

Mugo has worked as a traveling nurse for seven years and has been with the Army Reserve for five years. She has been with Beebe for the past year.

The award nomination took eight weeks to process before the Fort Meade, Md. Army Reserve chose Purple to receive the recognition.

“I was so surprised to receive the award,” Purple said. “It made me feel really good that someone noticed and thought to say thank you.”

Mugo said she wanted to recognize Purple, who made it very easy to balance her job and her reservist duties.

“Working at Beebe has been a breeze because Ellen was very flexible when scheduling my shifts,” Mugo said. “I never had any conflicts with meeting my Beebe or Army commitments.”

The Patriotic Employer Award reflects efforts made to support military personnel through flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence if needed.

“Here at Beebe we are proud to support members of our military and National Guard,” said Steven Rhone, RN, BSN, MS, NE-BC, vice president of Patient Care Services at Beebe Healthcare. “Ellen Purple has long been a valued team member who strives to work with all our team members. We are proud of her and excited to have her recognized in this way.”